New coins for 2017

New £1, £2 and 50p coins are being released in 2017: Everything you need to know

DESIGNS: The new 2017 coins.

Brand new £1, £2 and 50p coins are being released by the Royal Mint in 2017.

The new 12-sided £1 coin will eventually replace the “round pound”. It will enter circulation in March and will feature the flora of the four home nations emerging from a coronet.

Two new designs will also be unveiled for the £2 coin and will begin appearing in this spring.

The first will pay tribute to the pioneering Royal Flying Corp – the forerunner to the RAF – whose pilots played a crucial role in winning the First World War. And a Jane Austen £2 coin will celebrate the author of Pride And Prejudice and Sense And Sensibility, 200 years after her death.

PIONEER: The Jane Austen £2 coin.

Meanwhile, the latest design for the 50p coin will remember Sir Isaac Newton, a former Master of the Royal Mint.

Dr Kevin Clancy, director of the Royal Mint Museum, said: “This is a particularly significant year in Royal Mint history as we welcome in the new 12-sided £1 coin, with its innovative security features.

“This year we also mark the achievements of Jane Austen, Sir Isaac Newton and the Royal Flying Corps – all pioneers in their own field. The British public should start to see these coins appearing in their change from spring 2017.”

TRIBUTE: The Isaac Newton 50p.

New 12-sided £1 coin

The new 12-sided £1 coin will enter circulation on March 28, more than 30 years after the “round pound” was introduced.

The old coin will remain legal tender until October 15 but people are being urged to return them before that date.

It is believed £1 coins worth about £400,000 are sitting in savings jars around the UK.

SECURE: The new pound coin.The new £1 coin resembles the old threepenny bit, but boasts hi-tech features, including a hologram, that make it “the most secure coin in the world”.

The Royal Mint has produced more than 2.2 billion round pound coins since its introduction in 1983. But around one in every 30 are now fakes.

The new coin is made of two metals, with a gold-coloured outer ring and a silver-coloured inner ring. It has an image that changes from a “£” symbol to the number “1” when the coin is seen from different angles. It also has very small lettering on both sides of the coin and milled edges. It is thinner and lighter than the round pound, but its diameter is slightly larger.

REMEMBRANCE: The RFC £2 coin.

Facts about British coins

Here are some facts about the new £1 coin and coins generally produced by the Royal Mint:

• The Royal Mint has produced over 2.2 billion round pound coins since 1983 – equating to the weight of nearly 6,000 elephants

• Twenty five different designs have appeared on the pound coin, from dragons to trees

• The Royal Mint will make over 1.5 billion of the new £1 coins

Original article: http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/new-1-2-and-50p-coins-are-being-released-in-2017-everything-you-need-to-know/story-30022085-detail/story.html